Dragons and bangles and beads...Oh my! 

All flash and fire, a dragon stipple design is perfect as the focal point of this hot little number.  Any quilt square stipple design will do, but the dragon gives this little bag a definite Asian feel. It's so easy that you'll want to make one for all your friends.

Supplies Needed:

• Outer fabric and lining fabric: one fat quarter each

• 5/8 yard of beaded trim

• 1 1/2  yard piece of cording that contrasts with the outer fabric

• 2 2/3 yards of cording that matches the outer fabric.

• Low-loft craft batting

• Scraps of extra fabric to back the embroidery

• One large oval bead

Embroidery Designs from Embroidery Library:

• Dragon Stipple quilt block - medium

• Pagoda Stipple quilt block - medium

These designs are available in the following design pack:

• A Asia Quilt Pack - Md

Instructions: 

Layer your fabrics as shown with a backing fabric on the bottom, the batting in the center and the outer fabric on the top. Embroider both the pagoda design and the dragon design on the layers. Make sure that the embroideries are far enough apart. From the edge of each embroidery they should be at least 4" apart and at least 2" from the edge of the fabric.

After you have finished embroidering, measure out 2" from each edge of the embroidery, and mark cutting lines.

Cut out each square along your marked lines so that you have two 9" quilted squares.

Place one square on top of the other, with right sides together. Sew the seam for the bottom of the bag using a 1/2" seam allowance. 

Depending on the nature of your beaded trim, either insert the trim into the seam before stitching, or stitch the trim to the bottom of each square so that it will hang down when the bag is carried.
 

Place the squares right sides together again, and stitch the side seams of the bag. Turn the bag right side out.

Cut a 6" piece from the longer contrasting cording and fold it in half. Working on the right side of the outer fabric, pin the short cord in place at the top center of the bag back.

Using the remaining long pieces of cord, braid them together to form a strap for the purse. Pin the strap in place at the side seams of the bag.  Make sure the cords are laying as flat as possible to make them easier to sew over with your machine.

Cut a 17" by 9" rectangle from the lining fabric, fold the rectangle in half so that the short ends meet with the right sides together. Sew a seam where the ends meet, forming a tube.

Slip the tube of lining fabric over the right side of the bag.  Make sure that the cording piece and the strap stay in place.

Stitch the lining to the bag along the top end. You will be sewing the straps and short cord in place at the same time. Reinforce the stitching at the straps and cord piece.  Pull the lining up and to the top of the bag.

On the lining fabric, turn the raw edge inside 1/2" and press. Sew the end of the lining together close to the pressed edge. 

Turn the lining to the inside of the bag and stitch in place around the top of the bag.

On the short cord loop, use a hand needle and matching thread to create spaces in the cord for the bead to go through.  This will be the closure of the purse.

Here's how I did it: I used the small part of the bead as a guide to know how big to make the openings and then used the needle and thread to wrap the cord loop together. I just made two segments, one for the bead to go through, and one for decoration. 

Bring the cord loop over to the front of the bag and mark where you will be sewing the bead to the bag front.  The thread goes through the hole in the bead, but goes through the fabric at the center mark that you made. When you have sewn enough strands of thread through the bead so that it will be secure, create a short shank between the bead and the fabric by wrapping your thread around the strands that hold the bead to the purse.  Tie off the thread.

Bring the closure to the front again, and slide the bead through the loop. It forms quite a strong closure because we made it so only the small side of the bead will fit through the loops in our closure.